Eternal Reefs

Possibly inspired by the surf spot “Dead Man’s,” a company in Georgia, of all places, offers an unusual final resting place. Instead of being sprinkled on the water’s surface or packed in a jar as mantle ornament, your loved ones’ cremated remains, or cremains, can be put in an artificial reef ball and dropped into the ocean to stimulate undersea population. And, if properly placed, they could add some juice to an otherwise lifeless surf zone.

Atlanta-based Eternal Reefs (eternalreefs.com) currently installs memorial reef balls in coastal locations in 40 countries worldwide, including the U.S., Australia, Indonesia and the Maldives. The reef balls look like huge, concrete Whiffle balls cut in half. They have six-inch shells, weigh up to 4,000 pounds and can withstand hurricane-force swells. It’s environmentally friendly too, and a pretty reasonable deal when you consider the barrel of your life could be due to someone’s death.

Eternal Reefs and my family memorialized my Mom’s cremated remains into a reef ball down in Sunny Isles, FL this past June. The entire experience was amazing! Her reef ball is healing the sea and our souls. Truly. If you’re curious to see some footage of the entire process, check out the video that we made in my Mom’s honor http://vimeo.com/71465685 and then you can visit our website http://www.sandytoesandsoggydollars.com or like us on Facebook. We’re trying our best to raise awareness and money for a cure for leiomyosarcoma! Thank you to Eternal reefs for your amazing gift of peace and closure during this very difficult time.